Clippers coach Doc Rivers has spent much of this season campaigning for his center, DeAndre Jordan, to be named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

His quest went from amusing to annoying Friday when he called out a well-reasoned ESPN article breaking down why Jordan isn’t worthy of the award – only to later admit he hadn’t actually read the article, but instead had been given a brief overview by his PR staff.

Rivers, a smart and affable guy and one of the more enjoyable interviews in the league, should know better.

And Jordan’s case is as flimsy as the article points out. Players such as Draymond Green, John Wall, Tyson Chandler, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Serge Ibaka (this knee surgery won’t help) have as good or better cases to win the award.

Rivers’ campaign for Jordan to win Defensive Player of the Year should prove as fruitless as his quest to get Jordan – whom he has also compared to Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain since taking over as team president prior to the 2013-14 season – into this year’s All-Star Game, or to win the DPOY last season, when he finished third.

Jordan contests a shot by the Rockets’ Corey Brewer.AP

But while Rivers is going through one award pitch after another, he hasn’t mentioned the honor Jordan might have the best chance of achieving: making it onto an All-NBA team.

The three All-NBA teams each feature two guards, two forwards and a center, and Jordan has a strong case.

Ironically, the reason is as much because of his offense as his defense. Jordan’s impact on the defensive end has been overstated because of his gaudy rebounding and block numbers, but his impact offensively has been equally undervalued.

With the way the NBA has evolved – including an emphasis on floor spacing and 3-point shooting – perhaps the most useful weapon for a big man to possess offensively isn’t a back-to-the-basket post-up game, but an ability to effectively run the pick-and-roll by popping out to the 3-point line for a jumper or by rolling to the hoop for a layup or dunk.

This is how to shoot 71.6 percent for the season.AP

And no one runs the pick-and-roll better than Jordan, a massive human being – a 7-footer with even more impressive wingspan – who has incredible athleticism, allowing him to crash to the rim and give Chris Paul a huge target to chuck the ball up to for an alley-oop. That’s why Jordan is shooting an astronomical 71.6 percent from the field, mostly on a succession of dunks.

That rim-rolling ability is a big reason why the Clippers have the league’s best offense. It might seem like a simple skill, but it’s incredibly valuable. When Jordan is on the court, the Clippers average 112.9 points per 100 possessions; when he’s on the bench they average just 100.9 points per 100 possessions – the equivalent of a bottom 10 offense.

When combined with Jordan’s rebounding and shot-blocking, that effect on offense easily makes him worthy of the max contract he will get this summer – particularly because the salary cap is set to explode in 2016, making his contract more palatable.

Before that’s taken care of in July, there’s the matter of All-NBA spots. The first two picks at center should be DeMarcus Cousins and Marc Gasol. Jordan is right in the middle of a competitive group vying for the third spot, including Chandler, Andrew Bogut and Al Horford.

Jordan certainly has a stronger case for that spot than he does for Defensive Player of the Year. Maybe if Rivers pushes for that honor, he’ll finally be a successful campaign manager for his center.